Chief Executive Officer

Michelle Magaldi is an accomplished arts leader with more than two decades of experience in opera, theater, and live performance production. She currently serves as Production Director at LA Opera, where she leads multidisciplinary teams in mounting mainstage, site-specific, broadcast, and digital programming. In this role, she manages complex budgets, negotiates contracts, develops rental assets for revenue generation, and has championed company-wide initiatives in equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including launching LA Opera’s audio description program and developing consent-based practices.

In addition to her work with LA Opera, Michelle is Producer for Opera UCLA at the Herb Alpert School of Music, where she fosters partnerships with artists, donors, and community stakeholders to bring high-quality productions to the stage. From 2013 to 2023, she served as Director of Production for the Vocal Institute at Music Academy of the West, overseeing large-scale productions and cultivating a supportive environment for artists and staff. She is also the co-founder of Vibrant Production Management, a company established in 2009 that produces theater, opera, and high-end events, with a specialization in blending live performance with digital media.

Michelle’s leadership is defined by her ability to unite diverse teams, create sustainable structures, and support artists in realizing their creative visions. She is deeply committed to fostering inclusive and collaborative environments that allow the performing arts to thrive.

She is a member of Opera America’s Women’s Opera Network, a former elected member of the National Board of Governors of the American Guild of Musical Artists, and a proud alumna of UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film & Television, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater.